Maine’s 1st Congressional District candidates (left to right) Ron Russell, incumbent U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, and Ethan Alcorn. (Courtesy photos)
All three candidates running for Maine’s 1st Congressional District took to News Center Maine’s debate stage Thursday night for the first time to talk about cost of living, immigration, climate change and why they want to represent southern Maine in Washington.
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, said it has been a privilege to serve in her position since 2009, but she wants another term to keep working on issues where she can find cooperation across the aisle, such as those pertaining to agriculture and veterans affairs.
“One of the things that is unique about Congress is it takes a certain amount of seniority to get anything done,” Pingree said, citing her position as ranking member on an appropriations subcommittee, which gives her the ability to make decisions about federal spending to benefit Maine.
Her Republican challenger, Ron Russell, said “we’ve lost all sense of decency” in D.C., specifically criticizing legislation passed strictly along party lines. He said he would like to see more compromise between the parties and less spending.
If elected, Russell said he would come back to Maine every weekend he’s able to hold town hall meetings for people in the 1st District to know what he is doing in Congress.
“The job title is representative and you can’t do that if you don’t come back and meet with the people,” he said.
Unenrolled, independent candidate Ethan Alcorn said he’d like to go to Washington because he believes the two-party system is not representing the American people well and driving the country further into debt.
Climate change
While the candidates agreed that Maine is feeling the effects of climate change, they disagreed on what to do about it.
Russell said the U.S. has already worked to reduce its carbon emissions, so it should penalize the countries like China that continue to put out more carbon dioxide.
Alluding to federal tax credits for electric vehicles that are available through the Inflation Reduction Act, Russell said he doesn’t believe the U.S. should be offering those sorts of subsidies because the technology may be good for some people but not others.
Pingree mentioned the federal investments in climate resilience — such as the $70 million Maine received this summer — in response to the catastrophes seen across the country, including the winter storms that devastated Maine’s coast and roadways last winter.
But she also said there needs to be continued upfront investments in renewable energy to ensure a better future for generations to come.
When first asked, Alcorn said preventing further climate change “goes right over my head.” However, he used part of his closing statement to clarify that the issue is not over his head, but rather he believes the government shouldn’t get too involved with it.
Cost of living
The candidates also shared a variety of solutions they would like to see pursued to lower the cost of living for people.
As for energy costs, Pingree said there needs to be more investment in renewable energy sources to help lower costs for people who have experienced high fuel prices.
Russell would like to see increased construction of smaller, more affordable homes to address the high cost of housing in Maine. Specifically, he said he’d like to see more two-bedroom starter homes in the $200,000 range built.
However, Russell acknowledged that high cost of construction materials make it difficult for contractors to fill the state’s need for an additional 84,000 housing units in the next decade.
Pingree also pointed to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development programs that lower the cost of rent and a tax credit that goes to low-income housing, but said she would like to see more funding go towards addressing the housing crisis.
Alcorn said the American people shouldn’t look to the government to solve all their problems, including the lack of affordable housing.
Of the HUD programs Pingree referenced, Alcorn said, “Nobody should be taking them away, but we really need to let the free market take over and stop making government be the answer to everything.”
Immigration
On the issue of immigration, the candidates’ responses reflected national party polarization on the issue.
Russell said he would like to see Congress finish building a wall along the southern border “to stop all illegal immigration coming into the United States.”
Alcorn said he disagreed with the U.S. government providing services for immigrants.
“People are starting to wonder why so many are pouring over the border,” Alcorn said. He also questioned why the government is spending money on people coming from other countries when it should be “taking care of our own people.”
Pingree acknowledged that “we have to do something about many of the challenges at the border.” However, she said she currently struggles to talk with Republicans about immigration because it has turned into an election issue when there was a compromise bill in the Senate that she believes would have addressed many of the ongoing challenges.
But “now everyone is demagoguing immigration,” Pingree said, adding that it gets her “blood boiling.”
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